CHINESE NEW YEAR SPECTACULAR VI To Celebrate The Year Of The Rat At Carnegie Hall

Harvard Wealth Strategy & Management, LLC and Premier Event Management Inc. have announced the Sixth Annual Chinese New Year Spectacular concert at Carnegie Hall to ring in the Year of the Rat on Friday, February 7, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. Taking place in the Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall, this special program celebrates both Chinese and American cultures and the diverse melting-pot that is New York City.

As a highly anticipated annual performance, Spectacular has become a NYC tradition to mark the beginning of the Lunar New Year. The performance will feature new artists including Pianist Cong Bi and Kunqu Performers Jiehua Shi, Min Cheng and Qinglin Cai, as well as featuring returning headliners including Soprano Quan Chen, and American violinist Deni Bonet. Kunqu is one of the oldest forms of Chinese opera and is a ritualized fusion of acting, singing and stage movement.

"This year's Spectacular VI is a diverse blend of cultures and musical sounds. We're thrilled to have such a strong and energetic group of new and returning talent," said Charles W. Sullivan, Chinese Spectacular VI event producer and president of Premier Event Management, Inc.

The evening's program will feature a wide range of musical compositions, ranging from:

Pianist Cong Bi who was born into a musical family in Guangzhou and was awarded a full scholarship to precollege at Julliard School in 2010. In 2014, he enrolled in the Mannes College of Music and graduated with honors winning the Outstanding Talents Honors Award, the Best Undergraduate Performed Award, and the 2019 Steinway Award.

Soprano Quan Chen, a member of the Shanghai Musicians Association and holds two Master's Degrees in vocal performance from both Shanghai Conservatory and the Manhattan School of Music. Ms. Chen won the Puccini Ambassador Medal in the Premiere Opera International Vocal Competition and won first prize for Lieder and Song in the Grand Stage International Arts Foundation competition in New York City.

Violinist Deni Bonet is a New York City-based singer/songwriter, electric violinist, and multi-instrumentalist. Bonet has performed and recorded with Cyndi Lauper, R.E.M., Sarah McLachlan and many other musical legends. She was awarded a grant in 2019 through the Arts Envoy Program of the U.S. Government to spend a month's residency in Africa teaching violin, songwriting, and rock 'n roll at a music college in Zanzibar. Bonet has released several CDs of her own original music, including the critically-acclaimed "Bright Shiny Objects" on Sony/RED.

Kunqu Performers Jiehua Shi, Min Cheng and Qinglin Cai. Jiehua Shi is a graduate of the Shanghai Academy of Performing Arts and a former member of the Shanghai Kunqu Troupe. Ms. Shi has been invited to appear in many performing arts festivals in Spain, Taiwan, and the United States. She has been a Resident Artist of the Society since its inception and a teacher of the Kunqu Opera Workshop; Min Cheng is a graduate of the Jiangsu Performing Arts Institute. He studied with Kunqu Opera master Zhou Chuanying, Gao Jirong and Cai Zhengren, and was one of the leading actors of the Jiangsu Kunqu Institute for many years. He was a winner of the Orchid Award for Outstanding Young Kunqu Artists and was recognized as a top-ranked performer nationally in China; and Qinglin Cai is a leading Kunqu Opera performer of clown roles in China. Mr. Cai is a graduate of the Shanghai Academy of Performing Arts and a former member of the Shanghai Kun Opera Troupe. Mr. Cai has been a Resident Artist of the Society since its inception and has appeared in many performing art festivals in Spain and United States.

The annual Spectacular is produced by Premier Event Management Inc. and Harvard Wealth Strategy & Management, LLC, two American organizations which share the common goal of bridging the culture gap between Chinese and American cultures.

Tickets start at $28 and can be purchased HERE or by phone at (212) 247-7800. Children under 12, seniors over 60 and active duty military members are eligible for a 25 percent discount.